The study, conducted by research institute Prognos AG on behalf of the Bavarian Industry Association (vbw), predicts Germany will lack millions of skilled workers, technical and medical workers and researchers in the near future.
One of the main reasons for the imminent shortage, the study argues, is Germany’s ageing population as the number of people of working age is set to fall sharply.
"As a result of demographic change, the labour market situation will considerably worsen over the next 10 to 20 years,” said Oliver Ehrentraut, author of the study.
This is despite the steady influx of workers coming to Germany from abroad.
But job market experts and population researchers involved in the report believe it’s not too late to counter these findings, pointing to politics and the economy having the appropriate measures to prevent the deficit.
In order to close this gap in skilled labour, the researchers offer suggestions for urgent action.
Above all, vocational training must be promoted in a targeted manner, in order to help more young people obtain a professional qualification.
For people in the workplace, more effective training is needed to prepare them for new jobs that could arise with the arrival of technological advancements in factory halls.
After taking parental leave, women and men should be supported during the transition phase of returning to the workforce, the report argues. It also claims that older people should be motivated to work longer while part-time workers should be encouraged to extend their weekly working hours.
The Institute for Employment Research (IAB), does not currently see any gaps in Germany’s workforce, highlighting the existence of job shortages in only some sectors such as machine and automobile building and IT.
The Prognos AG report further foresees changes regarding the expertise needed in the workforce. With growing international competition and digitalization in almost all economic sectors, some professions are expected to lose importance.
The researchers also forecast that demand for jobs involved in security and surveillance activities will considerably decrease. Truck drivers, delivery attendants and packers could see their work done by robots and vending machines. The same applies to accountants, credit officers and real estate brokers, where electronic systems are likely to replace such jobs in the long term.
To a lesser extent, a shortage of managers, researchers, engineers, doctors, nurses and creatives and journalists is also predicted.
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